I work for people with “developmental disabilities” as it’s known in the biz, and a part of my duties includes finishing online training to get registered properly in my position. I’ve been working at my current place for a few months, and I have a lot of overdue courses I need to finish but I keep pushing it off and pushing it off.

I have 30 lessons that need to be completed, they’re over two weeks past due. Every time I look at my computer screen my eyes start to get blurry and I sort of start to disassociate. Instead of doing this shit I’d rather get high and play video games, even though I know I need to finish it if I want to keep my job and get registered with the state.

Idk. Just so burnt out from the work proper that the paperwork starts to seem insurmountable on my days off. I’ve been doing this kind of work for over 2 and a half years, closer to 3, but since I crossed state lines I’m deemed unqualified and have to redo a lot of the shit I’ve already done, and take lesson after lesson detailing shit I already know intimately. It’s so frustrating. I even get paid for it! As if affording rent isn’t enough of a motivation!

  • SovereignStateOP
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    11
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    1 year ago

    Addendum: fuck the U.S. for a plethora of reasons, but I despise its limped-dick federalism. The national bureaucracy works whenever they need tax money for fighter jets, but it’s up to the states to allocate the leftover scraps to their workers. Including bullshit like qualifications in one state being meaningless in another and each state requiring a different driver’s license! Fuck this shit. Either go whole hog and properly balkanize or quit pretending to support muh state’s rights.

    • @redtea
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      41 year ago

      I’m similar. Something like the third one works for me: I tell myself I’m just opening it to have a look, so I know what I’ll be doing when I get down to it the next day. Once it’s open, I can maybe do ten minutes. That won’t be too painful, right? Before I know it, I’m halfway through or finished.

      But I’m like this with the main part of my work, substantive writing. The blank page is a killer. And this seems to be the same whether it’s an article, a chapter, an essay, an assignment. The trick is to get something on paper. Then the next time you’re only playing with work that’s almost finished (even though that first draft of whatever it is could be complete shite, and the real work is yet to come).

      It just needs something to help get into the flow. Once you’re there, it’s no longer a question of motivation, but a question of stopping working.

      That reminds me. I’m a month past due on my annual mildly-racist anti-racist training.

      • SovereignStateOP
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        11 year ago

        I tell myself I’m just opening it to have a look, so I know what I’ll be doing when I get down to it the next day. Once it’s open, I can maybe do ten minutes. That won’t be too painful, right? Before I know it, I’m halfway through or finished.

        I used this tactic and I got it finished comrade. Thank you, genuinely. I broke things down into easily doable chunks and before I knew it I was halfway done. Then I only had half left! I can get down to half of that. Now half of that. Done! It was a slog and a half but the ideas you and other comrades presented ITT helped a lot, so thanks.

  • @Idliketothinkimsmart
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    51 year ago

    Oh god, I know that exact feeling you’re talking about when you say you just looked at your screen and couldn’t do anything.

    It might help to set aside a portion of time you know you have free and try to do even a page/ even a few questions on the form. Maybe even do something for yourself as a sort of reward! If there’s anyone you can call and vent about it, that would probably help as well. I definitely feel less crazy when I lay out my issues in front of someone else :‘). Maybe that wasn’t entirely motivational, but I do hope you get it done, comrade 😭😭. I’m rooting for you :’) 💐 !

    • @redtea
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      1 year ago

      I know what you’re saying, and this has worked for me.

      However – and I don’t always convince myself at the time – I’m often more productive when I make myself do it when I don’t have time. Like, I’ll have five minutes before a meeting and I’ll start a task knowing it won’t get done. Something about only having five minutes – putting a natural limit on how painful it will be – somehow makes it easier. But then it’s open and on my mind, so I’ll want the meeting to finish ASAP so I can finish what I started.

      The same works with a half-hour or hour gap. You’ll be surprised at how many 2+ hour jobs can be more or less wrapped up in 30 minutes when the time pressure is there. Might have something to do with Pareto’s principle (80% of the work takes 20% of the time).

      Edit: fixed typos

      • @Idliketothinkimsmart
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        21 year ago

        I wish I had a solution, but I’m literally the same way. Like I’ll similarly wait till the last hour to complete my tasks knowing I’ll be so stressed and sad if I don’t start any bit.

        I hear people say how you need to do something for 60 days to make it routine, so I’m honestly just banking on catching a random burst of motivation one day and hoping for the best :'). Try doing your tasks with other people if applicable. I find doing things with peers helps me stay motivated and keeps me accountable.

        • @redtea
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          31 year ago

          There are some good techniques in John Perry, The Art of Procrastination.

          Procrastination means putting off the most important tasks. The trick is to convince yourself that a task you need to complete is less important (paperwork like in the OP often is rather important, in the grand scheme of things, anyway). Then, to avoid the most important task on the list, you’ll happily procrastinate by completing tasks 2, 3, 4, etc (which now includes the task that you were originally avoiding by procrastinating).

          Ironically, for me (I agree that working with others adds its own pressure), I’ll usually have a group task at the top of my list because, to avoid it, I’ll whizz through the other items. This might be why starting things around meetings is useful.

  • @whoami
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    51 year ago

    I’m sorry I can’t offer better advice…It’s just something you have to sit down and do, even if it’s just one or two of these lessons a day, until they’re done. It sounds like it’s training for a job you’re already qualified to do, so hopefully it won’t be too difficult, just tedious.

    I am the world’s biggest procrastinator, so I’ve definitely been in your shoes.

  • @CannotSleep420
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    41 year ago

    How interactive are these trainings? Maybe you could only half pay attention and see if you can still get the quiz parts right.